Sandals Barbados

This was our second Sandals experience (first in Barbados) and we enjoyed every minute of it! We stayed in a beachfront room, overlooking the main Barbados pool. The resort is immediately adjacent to the Royal Barbados, with the two resorts feeling like one large campus. We were able to enjoy all of the restaurants and amenities of both. The staff were wonderful and while we ran into a few things that were out of order, there was constant presence of workers cleaning, maintaining, and repairing the facilities. We really enjoyed the entertainment staff's efforts to incorporate activities for those interested. On Halloween, they even had a costume party and pumpkin carving contest. The variety of dining options were amazing, and we appreciated the Sweet 'n Salty's Gourmet Coffee & Donuts and Cafe de Paris (the crepes and ice cream were a special treat!). My only complaint is that the new version of the Sandals app needs to improvement. It is cumbersome for this dual resort because you cannot view the restaurants easily or book through the app for the Royal side and vice versa. We took one excursion on a snorkel/catamaran cruise, although we found out later that there are free snorkeling trips through Sandals to the same location a couple of times a week. We wish this was shared at check-in or in the app planner.

Good location only 10 mins from airport in Uber. Sandals kiosk at airport needs to be inside, waited 30mins in the heat without seating for their transport . Resort is good, clean and friendly staff (apart from the surly bar tenders) restaurants are great quality both environment and food. Beach organisation is marred by the Butler Service, they retain the sunbefs at 6am and guests do not arrive until 11am if at all; this needs to be addressed by Management. All this said I would return to Sandals Barbados

My wife and I visited Sandals Barbados from October 25 to November 1, and I want to begin this review with a huge shout-out to the Sandals brand. We were originally scheduled to stay at Sandals South Coast, Jamaica, but when we saw Hurricane Melissa approaching on the news, we contacted the Diamond Member hotline and spoke with David. He was able to move our reservation to Sandals Barbados, upgrading us to a comparable room category at no additional charge. David truly saved our trip — we would have canceled otherwise. I was so impressed by the level of service we received. We’ve previously visited Sandals Barbados, as well as Royal Curaçao (once), Ochi (three times), Royal Bahamian (once), and South Coast (twelve times). Our new Club-level room was an OBT category in the Royal Building, featuring an ocean view and a balcony soaking tub. The location was very central, making it a short walk to restaurants, bars, and pools. Amanda in housekeeping kept our room spotless. The Barbados and Royal Barbados sides of the property feel like one large resort—you check in on one side and seamlessly enjoy amenities on both. Despite the last-minute change, check-in at the Club Sandals lounge was efficient. They coordinated with Loyalty & Travel to schedule our attendance at the returning guests’ dinner and the Diamond Member lunch (special thanks to Nakita, who brought the confirmation details to our room after check-in). As Sandals Elite scuba divers, we reached out to the Dive Shop as soon as our booking was changed. Jalissa confirmed by email that we could be scheduled for dives each day, which we greatly appreciated. She emailed all the forms to us so that we could fill them out and be ready to dive the first morning of our vacation. All we needed to do was check-in when we arrived on Sunday morning. Melissa in the Dive Shop was also very helpful. There is a shuttle from the resort to another Sandals Dive Shop at a harbor just outside downtown Bridgetown—a 30 to 45-minute ride that’s worth it for the excellent dive sites. The dive team was professional and knowledgeable. We dove with Robert, Ryan, Seth, Zane, and Shakeel, who remembered us from our last trip and had our equipment ready with labeled stickers. Early in our trip, an equipment issue affected air quality in the tanks, limiting dives to single tanks while they cleaned and pressure-tested everything—a big job. Extra staff were brought in, and safety was clearly the top priority. This limited our dives to one per day, but the dive masters made the most of them, and our dive times were often over 45 minutes. The restaurants were all top-notch. We couldn’t try every one, which is another reason to return. Highlights included: - The Greenhouse – A farm-to-table concept with perfectly executed dishes. Asha was our fabulous dinner waitress. Highly recommend the Octopus Tacos, the roasted sweet potato (it isn’t the orange yam we get in the States) and any seafood. We also enjoyed our last breakfast on the resort at the Greenhouse. - Portofino – Our first visit here, with excellent service from Sharia. - Bombay – Great interpretation of Indian cuisine with attentive service from Samson. If you’re not familiar with Indian food, request mild spice. - La Parisienne & Sky Bar – Stunning views and elegant atmosphere. Another excellent breakfast spot. Special recognition goes to David, who managed the front of the house at Butch’s (Royal side) and Schooners. The hurricane disrupted many dinner reservations since the systems are based in Jamaica, but David handled the situation with grace and efficiency. Both Butch’s and Schooners delivered fine-dining quality food and service. At Schooners, the Grouper and Clams were spicy and delicious, and the Guava cheesecake was the best dessert on the property. At Butch’s, we enjoyed a perfect Steak Diane (a nostalgic favorite) and Brisket, served by the attentive Samantha. Lunch at Neptunes was a daily treat—beautiful beach views and a great menu. We were invited to the Sandals Select Dinner in the ballroom, and if you’re invited, don’t miss it. It’s a five-course meal served on white linens with live music. There was also a presentation of free nights earned by guests and a brief overview of the foundation’s charitable work. It’s one of the best meals on the property. The Diamond Member lunch was an incredible experience—normally held in a restaurant, but since the Lady Sandals yacht was docked on the island, we were taken by deluxe motor coach to enjoy lunch aboard this amazing vessel. Originally owned by Butch Stewart, later sold to Nicolas Cage, and then reacquired by Stewart, the yacht is stunning. The staff graciously allowed us to tour the entire boat and take amazing photos. We also had beautiful sunset photos taken by Ramario, who tailored the shoot to exactly what we wanted, capturing the gardens and beach at sunset. The Red Lane spa provided excellent service with Karen in reception who took time to chat with my wife while she waited for Trudy to finish with her prior client. Trudy did a beautiful job with my wife’s makeup, just in time for our photo shoot. We fully expect to return to Sandals Barbados for a future trip.

It has been the worst experience at an all inclusive resort. This is my first and last Sandals. We always go to One and only or Secrets Resort but we wanted to experience a different resort style and what a mistake. This is a DO NOT DO LIST for sure. I will have a full list after this trip.

I was really looking forward to my birthday trip to sandals in Barbados. I had already attended about six different sandals so I thought I would be treated great. I was promised A Room With a View but got a room with no view with a tree in front of the balcony. Could not change or update because of the hurricane in Jamaica (which I understood) the quest from Jamaica filled up the rooms. The outside workers were friendly and greeted you it was the staff and the staff in the restaurants that acted like they didn't want to be there. I had heard from different guests that I met there that the attitudes of some of the waitresses and service staff was somewhat rude or they all had attitudes. I personally experienced this in the Portofino Italian Restaurant I think the girl's name was Charmaine (not sure) she was very rude and didn't care if we knew she was being rude. There was a couple of exceptions to the staff in the piano bar I think his name was Ahmed he was great and so was Kimberly! I would not visit this sandals again.